Playing With Fire
by Julia451
Summary: There's only one thing the Equalists hate more than Benders, and that's traitors like Asami Sato who have the gall to fall in love with them. Firebender Mako and non-Bender Asami are in love, and Amon is determined to punish her for her treachery. Pairings are Mako/Asami Masami, with lots of Bolin/Korra Borra. Rated T for later chapters.
1. Unheard Of

Asami Sato opened her eyes with a start. She lay still for a second before closing them again and breathing a long sigh of relief.

_Just another nightmare_, she told herself as she tried to shake off the feeling of panic. _Just another nightmare. Calm down. It's over..._

But it wasn't. She opened her eyes again, trying to forget the horrible scenes she'd just been through in her dreams, but they kept replaying in her head... she and Korra dodging masked chi-blockers chasing them through burning streets... a crowd of people dressed in blue, green, and red, glaring at her and warning each other, "Stay away from her! Don't trust her! She's the enemy! She's one of them! You don't belong here! Go back with your own kind!", each speaker pushing her roughly away as she tried to find some way of escape, but the crowd only seemed to multiply and get rougher as she tried to tell them they were wrong, that she wasn't going to hurt them, but she couldn't speak... an army of Equalists slowly advancing on her as she tried to run, but her limbs felt frozen, and she could do nothing but stand still and fall to the ground as they beat, kicked, and attacked her with those horrible electrified sticks, laughing and screaming, "Whore! Traitor!", and, as she weakly begged for help, "Where's your Firebender now?"

Asami suddenly realized she'd been staring the whole time at a worn, gray, stone ceiling... which didn't make any sense. Shouldn't that be the stars... or the canvas of the tent? She also noticed a weak, green light shining on the ceiling – where was that coming from? – and how badly her head hurt. What had happened? _Oh, no!_

She gasped as she remembered. The first part _hadn't_ been a dream... the battle, the trap, the race back to camp, the ambush, the street, the alley... Korra and the girls! Were they all right? Had they made it? She could only hope the fact that she was here meant they had. But it was all a blur. What had happened after... Obviously, they'd captured her, but where was she now? What had they done to her?

_Get a grip_, Asami ordered herself as the feeling of panic began to return. This was no time to go to pieces. She took some deep breaths and listened to her frantic heartbeat slow down. _Just focus on the present._ She was alive. She was lying flat on her back on a hard surface (presumably a bunk) alone in a stone cell. She could work with that.

Top priority – assess the damage. She turned her neck from side to side, shifted her shoulders, rotated her ankles, bent her knees. She could move – either they hadn't chi-blocked her, or she'd been out so long, it had worn off... most likely, the latter. She stretched out her arms, rotated her wrists, and flexed her fingers. They'd taken her glove – to be expected. She'd have to pick up a new one somewhere. A horrible thought suddenly occurred to her, and she reached up with her right arm and felt her neck. No! They'd taken the fire jade, too! Also to be expected, but _that_, she would miss.

She dropped her arm over the edge of the bed and confirmed she was above the ground. She shook off the disappointment at the loss of her necklace. Time to try standing up. She raised her head, but the room began spinning so fast that she fell back down and waited a minute before trying again, more slowly this time. She was able to sit up and slowly swing her legs over the side of the bunk. She put her feet on the floor and leaned forward, putting a little weight on them. She ran her fingers over her ribs and chest and the back of her head. She was sore and aching all over, and her head was still pounding, but nothing seemed broken or sprained. That seemed odd – she would've expected them to be much rougher with such a traitor.

Her survey of her body now complete, Asami looked up and began to survey the room. It was about 12-by-12 feet, made completely of stone except for the metal door directly across from the bed, which was a slat that jutted right out from the wall with no supports underneath. There were no windows and no sounds – no footsteps, no distant voices, not even water dripping or insects scurrying around. She wondered if she was underground. A stone table built into the floor, with something on it covered with a dark cloth, and two stone blocks that must be meant to serve as seats, were between her and the door. The dim, green light came from a long crystal embedded lengthwise in the center of the ceiling. She had never seen the glowing crystals that she'd learned filled the catacombs in the old Earth Kingdom, but she could only assume this was one of them. She probably would have thought it beautiful under other circumstances.

The crystal's green glow didn't illuminate the entire room – all four corners disappeared into total darkness. A small beam of the same green light came through a tiny square grill in the door. Asami carefully stood up and, once her head stopped swimming, walked gingerly towards the door. The grill was smaller than her face and just above her eye level. She stood on the tips of her toes and tried to peer out to get some clue where she was. She could see a hallway lit as dimly as her cell. She had expected to see a row of other cells across from her but saw only a blank stone wall. There was absolutely nothing and nobody in sight and no sounds of movement.

But at least one other person _had_ to be in this building or structure or whatever it was; surely somebody was supposed to guard her. "All right, I'm awake!" she announced, in a tone not of fear but annoyance. "Where am I?" No answer, of course. "I know you're out there! Show yourselves!" Still no answer, not even the faint sound of whispering or feet walking away. She called more loudly, "Hello! Anybody home? I don't think your master will be pleased when he finds out you left his new prisoner unguarded!"

"No fear of that – he specifically requested privacy for this first meeting."

Asami almost jumped out of her skin. She hadn't been alone after all! She backed away from the direction of the voice until she was standing against the far wall in the guard position.

The voice spoke again, coming closer: "I'm terribly sorry – did I startle you? I watched you as you slept. You seemed... troubled. I hope my chi-blockers weren't too rough with you. I warned them to be gentle, but they can be rather... over-zealous at times... usually such a valuable asset in one's followers, but too much of any good thing can be... problematic."

Asami hadn't moved a muscle, save for the instinctive shudder at the first words. She now saw the vague outline of a shadowy figure emerge out of the darkness. "I admit, it was cruel of me... sending them away before they had a chance to properly vent their anger," it said. "I hope you appreciate the pains I've taken for your comfort." The voice paused; Asami had no idea what it was waiting for, but it soon continued: "I'm afraid they wouldn't be very good company for you at the moment. For now, you'll have to settle for me."

A hand reached towards the object on the table. "You should be honored – none of our other guests have ever caused the stir _your_ arrival did. We've all been eagerly looking forward to this day... but I don't believe I exaggerate when say that _no one_ has looked forward to it more than I. And now..." He pulled back the cloth, revealing a cluster of the glowing green crystals sticking out of the rock. The light of the crude lamp made everything in the room clearly visible now.

The sight revealed was no surprise to Asami, however. She'd heard that voice too many times on the radio – the voice no one could forget even after the first time they heard it – to expect to see anyone other than the cloaked, masked man standing before her.

Amon strode forward, his hands behind his back, until they were only a few feet apart. He bowed slightly and then continued in the same polite monotone, "...at last we meet, Asami Sato."

* * *

The sound of the tent flap opening made Korra jump to her feet.

"It's all right, it's just me," General Iroh whispered.

Korra dropped her stance, sigh with relief and exhaustion, and slowly sank back down to the floor where she'd been sitting and went back to staring at the three little Airbenders sleeping side by side. Pabu was curled up in Ikki's arms.

"How's Pema?" Korra managed to whisper before a yawn overtook her.

"Still in labor," the General answered laconically.

There was a brief pause before Korra asked next, still looking down at the kids, "Any word from Tenzin?"

"He's still not back yet, but we weren't expecting him to be. The baby should get here before he does."

Korra stood up and walked toward the General. "It's taking a long time. Are they sure she's all right? Should I..."

Iroh raised his hand, silencing her, before he said, "Katara says there's no reason to worry yet. If they need any help, I'm sure they'll let you know, but Pema's in the hands of the best healer in the world... there's not much more we can do for them but wait patiently."

If she heard that word "patient" one more time... but Korra was too exhausted to finish the thought. Iroh seemed to notice. As she turned away from him back to the sleeping children, he put his hand on her shoulder. "You should try to get some rest." She opened her mouth, but before she could say a word of protest, he said, "I said _rest_, not sleep. You were supposed to let me begin my shift half an hour ago."

Korra sighed in defeat – she had no energy left to argue. Iroh assured her, "When Tenzin arrives, we'll tell him what happened, first thing."

"No," Korra said, shaking her head. "If Tenzin gets back, come get me – I want to be the one to tell him who saved his daughters." Iroh nodded, and Korra headed for the doorway. She heard him take a deep breath before he said, slowly, already knowing it was a waste of words, "It's not your fault, Korra..." She pulled the canvas aside walked out into the night, grateful that the kids were safe under Iroh's watch.

Korra gave a brief nod to the guards outside as she left. She wandered aimlessly amongst the campfires illuminating a sea of red, green, and blue – Iroh's and Bhumi's soldiers and the healers from the South Pole. She passed the medical tent where the silhouettes of those still at work were visible in a soft blue glow. She considered going in and offering to help but knew they would only repeat what she'd been hearing over and over again for hours: "We've got it covered – get some sleep." Hah!

Korra reached the woods at the edge of camp. Where was she going? Beyond the trees were the cliffs that made up the coast of Red Sand Island. Korra had spent her first few sleepless nights on the island sitting on those cliffs with Naga, staring across the gulf at the lights of the city she was supposed to be saving. She hadn't done it for a while; the view made being patient more difficult, not less. She knew she couldn't bear the sight of the city tonight – not when she knew, concealed somewhere in there, was...

A voice saying, "Korra," snapped the girl out of her painful reverie. She didn't realize until she'd heard it what she'd been looking for ever since she left the tent.

"Bolin!" She was in his arms before she'd finished the word. They stood like that for a while, silently savoring the moment of peace, before she reluctantly broke the embrace to ask, "How's Naga?"

"Fully recovered – just sleeping back by our fire," Bolin answered with a faint smile.

Korra tried to return the smile as she said, "Lucky her," and yawned again.

"You should try to lie down, too," Bolin said, careful, like Iroh, to avoid the pointless verb "sleep."

"Like you?" Korra asked in a feeble attempt at sarcasm.

"I will if you will. Deal?" Bolin answered as they walked away together.

Before long, they reached the campfire surrounded by two empty sleeping bags and one giant polar bear dog. Naga stirred briefly as Bolin and Korra leaned comfortably against her. The feeling of Bolin's arm around her shoulders and Naga's warm, soft fur against her skin helped Korra relax slightly; she stared quietly at the fire for a while before she realized what was missing.

"Where is he?" she asked.

"Where he's been all day." Bolin gestured towards the woods, but Korra knew he must mean the cliffs beyond them. "Meditating. He blames himself even more than _you_ blame yourself."

"What?" Korra gasped, her fatigue keeping her voice unnaturally soft. "That's ridiculous. How could he blame himself? He wasn't even there." Bolin sighed as hey both realized she'd answered her own question.

Mako had lied, though – he wasn't meditating. Meditation meant clearing your mind. Tonight, however, silence, solitude, and the absence of all distractions, far from calming his mind, only made it easier to dwell on what had happened today, made the weight of it press down so hard on him that it felt like his soul was on the brink of shattering. That was what he wanted. He deserved it.

The young Firebender opened his eyes. The candles on the ground in front of him were unlit; he'd found out not too long after coming out here tonight that it was safer that way. He forced himself to look up and across the water. The sight of Republic City had never been so painful. He wouldn't let himself take his eyes off it.

He refused to allow himself try to think of where she might be; the hopelessness of such rampant speculation would have driven him mad. He focused on the one question he knew the answer to: Was she alive? He agreed with Bei Fong that they wouldn't dare ruin their cause forever by deliberately making a martyr out of one of the infamous Star-Crossed Lovers of Republic City, and even if they did, they wouldn't keep such a victory a secret but would make sure to spread the word far and wide; he would hear about it.

She was still alive – he could be sure of that. This should have been comforting, but it wasn't because it just raised the question of what they were doing to her. Nobody knew what they did with non-Benders they took prisoner. The best case scenario was they would simply keep her locked up until they lost this war. Maybe they would – surely they had more important things to worry about than a prisoner's love life. The worst case scenario was they were torturing or brainwashing her. He imagined her strapped to a stone chair in a room with a lantern revolving around her on a track like a prisoner in the Dai Li's Lake Laogai. What if the next time he saw her, she was a soulless shell in an Equalist uniform, bearing down on him with blank, bloodthirsty eyes, ready to kill him...

The candles suddenly flared to life. Mako clenched his fists in anger at himself, and the flames blazed even higher. He reached out and swept both his hands over them, erasing the fire...

Fire... that was the reason for all of this! The reason why they hated her! The reason why they were punishing her! Fire – _his_ fire! He hadn't had this feeling for years – this hatred for what he was that had started the day he saw his parents murdered. Just knowing that he was a Firebender like their killer had tortured him for years, but he'd eventually found peace with it. He should have known better – look at what it had caused! Wherever she was, whatever was happening to her now, it was all because of him – because he hadn't been there to protect her, and because he loved her. He should have realized months ago it would lead to this! How could he have let this happen?! He never should have...

Mako didn't finish the thought, but it was remarkable how clear that thought had made his head. _Did_ he wish he had turned her down that day? No – he knew that as definitely and clearly as he knew that she didn't either, that she'd never want him to think what he'd just been thinking. This was just what those Equalists wanted – for everyone to hate Benders, including Benders themselves...

"_If they can make you hate yourself, they win," she told him._

"_Or if they can make us hate each other," he replied. "What if they make you regret the day you saved me?"_

"_I won't regret what we've done if you won't," she answered confidently._

"_Never," he said firmly._

"Never," he said again now. He looked over at the city again. "Wherever you are, Asami," he said to her, "I hate what they've done to you, but I don't regret anything _we've_ done." If they hated her for loving him, he hated them for hurting her, but he did not regret loving her.

He still thought he was right about one thing, though – he _had_ been stupid not to know things would eventually lead to something like this. He should have known they were heading down a dangerous path the moment he found out... But he'd been so thrilled that day, so uncharacteristically happy, both of them too excited to realize what they were starting...

* * *

Bolin's first assumption when he saw Mako come up the ladder with his hair a mess, his clothes covered in dust, and a dazed look on his face was that he'd been jumped and knocked down hard in a fight. He put the dumpling in his hand back on the plate, leaped off the couch, and ran to his brother.

"How bad?" Bolin asked, taking his brother's right and shoulder in case he needed support.

"Not bad, I guess," the older boy mumbled. His voice trailed off for a minute before he said, more assertively, "For now anyway. Tomorrow will probably be a disaster."

"Get in much trouble?" Bolin asked, worried by that last remark – had the police gotten involved?

"Serious trouble," Mako answered, with a smile that didn't make any sense to Bolin.

"Who started it?"

"She did... I think... it's kind of a blur..."

She? Bolin tried to remember which of the Triads had female members last he heard. He was pretty sure there was a female Firebender in the gang who claimed the territory by Central Station, but Mako probably wouldn't have run into them on his route home from work. It must be someone new.

"How many?" Bolin asked next, hoping it hadn't been too serious.

"Just the two of us," Mako said, groaning and rubbing the back of his head. "Ugh, my head hurts."

"Must have been some fight," Bolin said as he followed him.

"You ever have a fight with a moped?" his brother groaned.

"A moped?" Bolin gasped, realizing he'd been mistaken but none too relieved by the truth. "You got hit by a moped? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm..." Bolin guessed from his tone that Mako had been about to say "...fine," but he seemed to change his mind mid-sentence because he paused and said instead, "I... I don't know."

"Why? What happened?!"

Mako stood there with a look of disbelief on his face, shaking his head, and began pacing back and forth, mumbling to himself (it sounded like "Did that really happen?"), before breathing a sigh of resignation. It looked to Bolin as if he'd concluded that some impossible phenomenon hadn't been a delusion caused by his bump on the head but _had_ actually happened. He understood why when his brother turned to face him, held both hands out at his sides in helpless surrender, and said, as if he was speaking a foreign language he didn't understand, "I have a date."

Bolin needed a second or two before the words sank in. When they finally did, he crossed his arms, said calmly, "Well, it's about time," before giving up the attempt to restrain himself and launching himself at his brother. "It's about time!" he yelled this time, all the enthusiasm for this particular event that he'd never had occasion to express before now flooding out in an unstoppable torrent.

Bolin pushed his brother down onto the couch and sat next to him, clutching his lapels, determined not to let him escape before he got all the details. "Name!" he demanded.

"Asami," Mako answered, pushing himself free. The impact seemed to have woken him up.

Bolin pushed him back down. "Asami What?"

"Don't know, didn't ask." Mako pushed his brother back but didn't try to get up again, wisely deciding it would be better to get the interrogation over with.

"Age?"

Mako shrugged. "I don't know, 16 or 17..."

"Height?"

Mako shook his head. "I don't know, a little shorter than me, about your height, I guess..."

"You are useless!" Bolin groaned in exasperation. "Eye color?"

"Green. Bright, emerald green." Mako said with emphasis, as if hoping a confident answer could make up for his first inadequate ones.

"Now that's more like it. Hair color?"

"Black," Mako said aloud. _Black as ebony_, he thought to himself.

"Long or short?"

"Long." _Long, thick, and shining_.

"Dark or fair?"

"Fair." _Skin white as snow_.

"Water, Earth, or Fire?"

"Uh..." Mako paused, realizing something for the first time. "No idea..."

"WHAT?!"

Mako couldn't help laughing at his brother's over-enthusiasm as he explained, "It didn't come up. We only talked for a few seconds after she crashed into me, and she invited me to dinner to make up for it."

"So you don't know _anything_ else about her?" Bolin asked mournfully.

"Only that she likes Pro-Bending. She's even watched us compete – she recognized me."

Bolin was apparently satisfied enough with the available concrete information to move into the realm of speculation. "So she already knows more about you than do about her... Interesting..." he said, holding his chin in his hand.

"I guess," Mako said with another shrug.

"She likes you," Bolin said confidently.

"Maybe."

"Hmmm... green eyes, huh? Probably an Earthbender," Bolin decided.

"You can't know that," Mako said with another laugh.

"The element usually manifests in eye color," Bolin stated, in a tone that implied he'd said "2 + 2 = 4."

"But not always," Mako reminded him. "You've met green-eyed Waterbenders."

"So you think she's a Waterbender?"

Mako pondered that for a second before answering, "No, I don't think so. Except for the eyes, she looked Fire Nation..."

Bolin took advantage of his pause to say, "So, either Fire or Earth, right?"

"Probably..." Mako said dismissively. He was thinking of the way Asami had looked when she'd ridden past him and down the street. Anyone could have told from the way she mounted and swayed on that bike that she loved to ride. She clearly had a need for a speed, as the saying went. She'd been quick and aggressive in their encounter, as well, making all the moves and suggestions until she got what she wanted, wasting no time on evasive small talk but staying focused to the point, even though she'd been very excited when she recognized him as a Pro-Bender... _fiery_, almost...

"I think she's a Firebender," Mako finally said out loud. "Who leans towards Lightningbending."

"Lightning?" Bolin was the one laughing now.

"It... it fits her. She definitely has the disposition of a Lightningbender." _A need for speed..._

"You can't know that," Bolin echoed sarcastically but obviously enjoying Mako theorizing about it.

Mako ruined it for him, however, by saying too reasonably, "I know. Just a thought. Guess I'll find out tomorrow."

"Well, for your sake, I hope she's an Earthbender. Fire is most compatible with Earth – Fire and Fire or Fire and Water should _never _mix."

"Where do you get this stuff?" Mako wondered aloud, rising to his feet and heading for the bathroom to clean up.

Bolin, desperate for some way to prolong the fun a little longer, called after him, "Ooh, ooh, I got it, I got it!" Once Mako stopped and turned around, he continued, "She's an Airbender!"

Mako rolled his eyes but played along and said, "No, she's a non-Bender."

Bolin burst into laughter. A girl who knowingly, willingly asked out a Bender in this city these days was one-or-two-thousand times more likely to be an all-but-extinct Airbender than a non-Bender. By the time he was in the shower, Mako wished he hadn't said it – it was so silly and ridiculous, and, as far as he was concerned, this was a very serious matter. He shouldn't waste any time between now and then joking about such ludicrous impossibilities.

Away from his exuberant little brother, the euphoria quickly started to wear off, leaving nothing but sheer incredulity. What was he doing? He didn't have time for these pointless antics; he had a tournament to win, money to earn in a hurry before he could even have a chance at that, there was an army carrying out a vendetta against Benders he had to watch out for... He had to stay focused. He didn't need some girl distracting him right now...

Mako laughed at himself. He'd almost forgotten this wasn't really a date. She was just paying off a debt. He could respect that. She'd humor him for a night, clear her conscience, then move on and forget about him. One night with a friendly, fun, athletic Pro-Bending fan who was also the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen... and then he could get back to important matters, no harm done.

Bolin would be crushed when he heard Mako wouldn't be seeing her again, of course..._ I'll just have to remind him what our priorities are right now_, he planned: raising 30,000 yuans, winning the tournament, staying away from the Equalists. They _had_ to stay focused... but since he was bound to one evening with this Asami, it would be more logical to enjoy it than let it go to waste, he decided, allowing himself to look more forward to tomorrow night than he intended.

* * *

Asami had the carriage drop her off a few blocks from Kwong's so she could walk off some of her nerves. She couldn't believe she actually had a date tonight with Mako, her favorite Pro-Bender! Of course, it wasn't quite a real date, she kept reminding herself – just making amends... for hitting him with her moped. She shook her head and ordered herself not to think about that. But how could she have been so careless?! Of all the people to crash into like some rookie who didn't know what she was doing! He must think she was such an idiot!

Then again, he _had_ accepted. He could have threatened to go to the police, to sue her, or just walked off and ordered her never to approach him again if she knew what was good for her. Shouldn't she take the fact that he'd been friendly and willing to go out with her in spite of that... mishap as a good sign?

But even if he didn't hold a grudge against her for yesterday, she still couldn't let herself get carried away. He was a Pro-Bender, about to enter the league's most prestigious tournament. The fact that he was willing to go out with a girl like her when he was surrounded by much more fascinating girls with such impressive powers was shocking enough even without their particularly awkward introduction. She shouldn't go into this expecting him to be interested in seeing her again; someone that handsome, with such talent, who had faced so many struggles to achieve what he had, could no doubt have every girl in Republic City, if he wanted – Benders much more interesting than her.

Asami recalled the little she knew about Mako so far – that he and his younger brother were orphans who had survived on the streets before turning to Pro-Bending, where, without any famous masters or professional training or wealthy sponsors, he'd still been able to lead them to victory. Every time she watched him play, every time she thought of what he had endured, she couldn't help but admire him. His story was too tragic and inspiring for her to resist becoming enchanted by it. She'd often wondered what it would be like to meet him but never seriously thought it would happen.

_Enjoy the chance while you can_, Asami ordered herself. _Don't get any crazy ideas_. But it was hard when she found herself looking more forward to this date than she had for any in a long time. Actually, she hadn't been on a date for a rather long time. She'd met many young men at school, her father's company, and the business parties she attended with him who'd been eager to persuade the wealthy Hiroshi Sato's daughter that he was The One, but she'd gotten so disappointed at the results that it had been awhile since she'd accepted an offer. They were rich, influential, usually handsome, and occasionally nice, but they were all so arrogant, shallow and dull. They never said or did anything to make her admire or respect them or feel honored to be chosen by them. From time to time, she wondered if she would ever meet someone she could genuinely admire who would be genuinely interested in her and not just in her father's money or her...

A boy sitting on the marble steps of a building wolfbat-whistled at her. She saw him out of the corner of her eye and quickly turned her head in the other direction, glad she was almost there.

Tahno snickered as the girl turned away from him. He and his two friends continued to ogle her as she walked past them under a street light.

"Hey, isn't that... what's-her-name, Asami-something?" Chao Zu asked.

"Yeah," Tahno confirmed. He'd recognized her, too. "Asami Sato, as in Hiroshi Sato, as in Future Industries."

"Beautiful and loaded, eh?" said Ming.

"I wouldn't mind going a few rounds with her," Chao Zu said next, releasing a short breath of fire.

"Yeah," Tahno agreed, still surveying her. "She'd be a real catch... if she were a Bender." He watched her enter the famous Kwong's Cuisine, a popular elite restaurant patronized mostly by wealthy non-Benders these days. "Wonder who she's meeting toni-"

Ming interrupted him, pointing out a figure coming from the opposite direction. "What's _he_ doing here?" he asked. Tahno did a double-take when he saw who it was: the Pro-Bending street rat Mako, Captain of the Fire Ferrets.

"Must have taken a wrong turn somewhere," Tahno scoffed. "The establishments around here are a bit above his disposable income."

"Maybe he's meeting Asami," Chao Zu joked, and the three boys burst out laughing. The only thing more insane than Mako eating at Kwong's Cuisine with Asami Sato was a Firebender eating dinner with a non-Bender.

* * *

For about two seconds, Mako thought Asami was joking when she said _the_ Hiroshi Sato was her father, like he'd been when he asked the question! The casual way she said it, as if it were no big deal, that _had_ to be an act! But, no, she was sincere... and she had Mako baffled. He'd told himself, sure, she was nice after running into you in the street, but, knowing how rich she must be to be able to come here, she'll turn out to be an arrogant snob, don't get your hopes up. The more he spoke to her, the guiltier he felt for assuming that.

Yes, tonight was turning out to be full of surprises. The introverted Mako never knew that social conversation could be enjoyable instead of just a chore, but there was no point in denying that talking with Asami _was_ enjoyable. She asked him all sorts of questions about Pro-Bending and his new teammate the Avatar, and he asked her all sorts of questions about her father and his company – not at all a bad way to spend an evening.

By the time their desserts were brought out, Mako wondered how, with all this talking, the one question still nagging him hadn't come up. The revelation about Asami's father had reminded him that he still didn't know what her element was, and, since he knew that Sato wasn't a Bender, the discovery was no help. She must have inherited her Bending from her mother. Mako knew nothing about Sato's family or marriage, but that wasn't surprising; a Bender marrying a non-Bender years ago probably wouldn't have been the scandal it would no doubt have been today, with all the animosity between the groups. _Not that it would have mattered if you knew, anyway_, he reminded himself; your parents' elements were no more suggestive of your own than your eye color was. Mako had been on the lookout all evening for a tactful way of raising the question. He thought for sure it would come up easily, that Asami would explain why, with how much she loved Pro-Bending, she'd apparently never considered getting involved herself, and then Mako could segue into asking her how long she'd been training and move on from there, but she never brought it up.

Maybe she was nervous about discussing Bending in the open. It was a survival mechanism these days employed by most Benders – when in public, draw as little attention to your abilities as possible, act just like you're a non-Bender. Not that it helped much – Mako's golden eyes alone were often enough to make food vendors refuse to sell to him, merchants refuse to trade with him, women hurry their children over to the other side of the street when he passed. Instead of making him want to crawl into a hole and hide, the hostility had made Mako eager to show he _wasn't_ ashamed of his abilities or afraid of what anyone thought of him because of them. This was part of the reason why he continued to wear his father's scarf everywhere. As the hatred for Benders grew, some Firebenders stopped wearing the traditional scarf (how the tradition began, no one remembered nor cared) that advertised their identity and invited trouble; many, however, didn't. True, most of them were criminals who just used it as a tool for intimidation, but some of them, like his father, like himself, just wore it out of pride.

But Asami has been openly discussing Pro-Bending with him all night, so fear couldn't be the reason she hadn't told him about her own element. Maybe it just didn't occur to her; for Mako, informing someone he was a Firebender seemed about as necessary as informing them he was human. Maybe, like Bolin, she assumed any half-wit could tell she was an Earthbender by her eyes or a Firebender by her appearance, and Mako would sound like an idiot if he revealed he didn't know. Or maybe she'd turn out be a Waterbender, and he'd deeply offend her for trying to make assumptions about her based on her appearance at all! He should have asked Bolin for suggestions on tactfully raising the subject with her – this was his brother's area of expertise, after all.

Mako finally decided to take his chance when Asami asked what was hardest about Pro-Bending. After some very rapid strategizing, he answered, "At first, it was restraining myself from using lightning. I had to completely re-train, or un-train, myself so that, when I'm in the ring, I forget that I can even generate lightning at all, or else I'd keep wasting crucial split-seconds thinking how easy it would be if I were just allowed to use lightning in a situation and calculating how to compensate for it. I had to train my mind to think 'Fire' first and keep lightning out of the equation entirely."

"Sounds painful," Asami observed, and she sounded like she meant it.

"It was," Mako confirmed. "What's been hardest for you to learn?" Now he'd get the answer to the mystery for sure.

Asami pondered the question for a bit before answering, "Driving a car, actually. It's kind of embarrassing, but, at first, I tried to drive it like a moped, thinking the wheels would turn simultaneously as I turned the steering wheel. It felt like the vehicle was completely out of my control. It seemed to take forever before I learned how to time pressing the gas pedal with turning the wheel to get the car to make the motions I wanted, but once I did, it was like I'd always been able to do it."

Mako was confused by her answer at first. He mustn't have phrased the question properly; she hadn't known he meant what was hardest about learning her element, whatever it was. Maybe he could still salvage his plan, though, with a few quick amendments.

"I've never even tried driving," Mako said next. "I wonder if it would be harder to learn than Firebending."

"I wish I knew," Asami said with a smile, before taking another sip of her tea.

Well, that was one down – progress. Mako debated whether it would be rude to get the final answer by saying, "Wow, I thought for sure you were a Firebender," decided it would be, and abandoned that idea. Instead, he said, "At least I didn't have to wait until I was sixteen to start practicing Firebending."

"That's definitely an advantage," Asami agreed.

"I didn't start seriously training until I was eleven," Mako confessed, skipping over the reason why he turned his back on Firebending for three years. "How old were you when you started?" This had to work. If her response didn't reveal her element, he'd ask how old she was when she discovered she was a Bender, and how it happened (then, to cover his real intent, tell the story of how Bolin accidentally caused a small sandstorm when he was four when their unsuspecting parents took them to the beach).

Mako didn't understand why Asami looked so confused, or why she said uncertainly, " 'Training?' Well, I did start training in self-defense when I was six. My dad always made sure I took it seriously. I loved every minute of it."

Self-defense? Oh, come on, how much clearer could he be? Deciding he could stop hiding his own confusion now, Mako said, mirroring Asami's recent tone, " 'Self-defense'? Well, it _is_ a good idea to learn how to defend yourself without Bending these days. Glad your father thought of that. I should probably work on that more myself."

"It's especially a good idea when you're not a Bender," Asami said nonchalantly.

Thank you for that pointless observation, Mako thought to himself. He was now out of ideas on how to get the answer he wanted or even to continue the conversation. Fortunately, Asami relieved him of the burden by swallowing her spoonful of ice cream and saying something.

When she stopped, Mako stared silently past her for a minute, trying to process the words. He was sure of what he'd heard, but he must be mistaken because they made no sense. The words he'd heard Asami say (he clearly saw her lips form every syllable) were: "I've always wondered what it would be like to be a Bender, to steer fire or rock or water like I steer a car. It must be incredible. I guess that's why I like Pro-Bending so much; even if I can't do it, I can still enjoy it." They made no sense because the girl sitting a few feet away from him had recognized him as a Firebender from the moment they met, and since said girl _was_ sitting of her own free will a few feet away from a Firebender, she _couldn't_ be a non-Bender.

Mako heard a voice ask, "Are you all right?", but it took him a second before he remembered it was Asami's and realized she must be addressing him. Somewhere in the back of his mind was the vague notion he'd been rude, but that was completely irrelevant now. All thoughts of tact pushed aside by sheer bewilderment, he turned directly to Asami and asked, in complete sincerity, "What do you mean, 'what it _would _be like?' "

"What do you mean?" Asami echoed, seemingly innocently.

"The way you were just talking, it sounded like you're not a Bender," Mako explained, hoping she wouldn't be too offended.

"I'm not," Asami said simply, no sign of offense or sarcasm or anger or malice or pain or amusement or anything in her voice except mild surprise. She even smiled as she asked, "What made you think that? Do I act like one?"

"Well... yeah," Mako answered truthfully.

Asami laughed briefly, not cruelly, not at him or at his mistake, but simply as if she found this revelation about herself fun to think about. "Really? How?"

Without hesitation, Mako answered, "You're sharing dinner with a Firebender in Republic City."

Asami's smile vanished instantly. She stared down at the table for a minute, her brow wrinkled in deep thought, before looking back at up him and saying, "Oh, that... I... I see what you mean... I'm sorry, I never thought... I didn't mean to put you in an awkward situation, it... it just didn't occur to me that..."

"If only more people thought that way," Mako said, giving Asami the warmest, broadest, most open smile he'd worn all evening. Her confession that it literally never occurred to her that what they were doing was unheard of these days suddenly made his own shock and disbelief seem unnecessary. The absurd prejudices most of the city held against Benders didn't matter; they didn't apply here. He'd liked her company enough before, but he was overwhelmed with respect for her at this discovery. He was still struggling to find the right words to tell her that when she smiled back at him and grabbed his hand for the second time that evening. She caught herself and tried to undo the involuntary action, but he held on this time. He hoped he was right in guessing that she got the message.

They were almost finished eating by now. As Asami signed the check the waiter had left, she said, "I'll talk to my dad tonight, see when you can meet him. Can I reach you at the arena?"

"Oh... right..." It took Mako a second to remember what she was talking about. "Yeah, we don't have a telephone, but we get our mail at the arena's address."

"Great. How about we meet again tomorrow so we can make the plans after I talk to my dad?"

"Sounds good to me."

"A stroll in the park?" she suggested.

"Sure. I get off work at four. How about I meet you at five?"

"Sounds good to me."

The waiter returned, took the check and a few yuans' worth of a tip, and walked away. Asami excused herself to the powder room while Mako went and changed out of his borrowed suit. The man who'd escorted him packed it up and took it away (Mako assumed to ship it back to wherever Asami got it from), and Mako, relieved to be back in his own clothes, went out to meet Asami. The two walked out side by side, Asami apologizing again for hitting him with her moped and Mako thanking her for a great evening, unaware of the glances from other diners that followed them out of the restaurant.

Once Miss Sato was a safe distance away from the building, their waiter, still watching them from the doorway, turned to the bespectacled man next to him and whispered, "Is this her idea of a prank? What was she thinking, bringing one of them here? If she'd been anyone else, I would have shown them both the door right away. We're lucky a riot didn't break out here."

"Thank the spirits everyone here tonight demonstrated such superb self-control," the other man said in agreement.

The waiter shook his head in sorrow. "She's young, any girl can make a mistake, after all, but the way she was blatantly advertising it... Talking about him Pro-Bending over and over where everyone could hear them... I never took Miss Sato for the desperate attention-seeking type."

"I tried to get him to forgo the scarf, but he insisted on wearing it," his companion said.

"Of course he did – where'd the fun be unless he made sure everyone here knew he was a... a Firebender?!" With one more look of disgust at the retreating figures, the men turned and went back to work.

Meanwhile, Mako had politely turned down Asami's offer for a ride and begun his walk home. This night certainly hadn't ended the way he planned. Instead of saying his final farewell to a girl who had paid her debt, he had said he would see her tomorrow. They weren't parting ways; they were becoming friends. He would be spending more time with her and meeting her famous father... an unexpected outcome, but not an unpleasant one.

Mako dwelled on the night's pleasant surprises until he found himself standing outside the arena. He was still lost in thought as he made his way through the corridors and up the stairs to his apartment. The lights were all out when he climbed up the ladder. Pabu scampered down from the loft to greet him, and he held the fire ferret in one hand while making a small flame with the other to guide his way to the laundry pile. As he exchanged his shirt and jacket for a sleeveless nightshirt, Mako caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Had he looked that happy all the way home? It was an odd feeling, being happy like this, but he decided he liked it.

He climbed cautiously up to the loft, trying not to wake his brother. He failed thanks to Pabu, who followed him up and leaped right over to Bolin, landing directly on his chest. As Mako crept over to his own bed, he saw Bolin roll over and look at him.

"Aw, you're home already," Bolin said, disappointed.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Mako said, firmly ordering his mind not to explore his brother's implications any further.

Bolin seemed to recover quickly from his dashed hopes, propped himself up on one elbow, and asked, "So, how'd it go?"

"Great," Mako answered, lying down on his back and staring at the stars above the glass dome of the roof.

"So, when's your next date?" Bolin pressed.

"Tomorrow – going for a stroll in the park."

"Very good, very good," Bolin observed. "So... what's she like?"

"She's nice, fun, great taste in restaurants and Pro-Bending teams..."

"Is she as rich as you thought?"

Mako had to laugh before he answered. "Nope... richer. She's Hiroshi Sato's daughter, the inventor of the Satomobile and owner of Future Industries."

"If you weren't you, I'd think you were joking."

_You haven't heard anything yet_, Mako thought to himself, but decided to wait until Bolin asked the question for maximum shock value.

Bolin quizzed him about the evening for a while – what they ate, what they talked about, how much Mako liked her – until the question Mako was waiting for occurred to him.

"Oh, did you find out what her element is?" Bolin asked casually.

Mako sat up and Bolin followed suit. The moonlight gave Bolin a clear view of his brother's face and its complete absence of sarcasm and humor as he asked, in a tone of utmost sincerity, "What would you say if I told you I'm not joking, and she's a non-Bender?"

If there was one thing sixteen years of living with Mako had taught Bolin, it was how to tell when his brother was joking or not. On this occasion, Bolin knew he was not.

The boys stared at each in silence for a bit. Bolin broke it by saying, dismayed, "Wow, I don't believe it... my own brother dating a non-Bender..."

"I know, it's incredible..." Mako began, but Bolin wasn't finished.

"... The only type of girl I've never had... Never thought I'd see the day."

Mako grinned, rolled his eyes and lay back down, turning away from the cheerful smirk on Bolin's face.

* * *

Asami was still in a happy daze as she drove up to her own house. The evening went even better than she'd hoped, and Mako was everything she expected and more. It was ironic – the shallow, boring men she'd tried dating could do nothing but brag about themselves even though they'd done nothing to be proud of, but Mako, the most interesting man she'd ever met, a strong, hard-working, successful athlete, never bragged even when describing all the fascinating details about his career. He actually seemed more eager to hear her talk than to talk about himself; she couldn't remember when one of her overconfident suitors had cared to ask her one question about herself or been interested in what she liked or thought like Mako had tonight. It was refreshing, and she was eager to repeat the experience.

The more she thought about Mako, the more Asami thought that he deserved that Pro-Bending championship. He'd already worked harder for it than any of his competition, and she knew without a doubt that he could win. It was unbearable to think that he wouldn't have the chance because of lack of funds. As soon as he'd told her, it had taken every ounce of restraint she had not to say she would hand-deliver whatever he needed two or three or four times over first thing tomorrow. She wished she could, but the world didn't work like that – honorable men like Mako didn't accept something for nothing. She'd insult him beyond forgiveness if she even hinted at it.

But she _had _to do something; she couldn't stand by and permit such an injustice to happen. But how? How much did he need anyway? That question didn't bother her very much. Her father could easily spare the money, and if she asked the right way, she was sure he would give it to her, but then what? Maybe she could send them the money anonymously, or even pay the league herself without Mako ever knowing she did. But such tactics seemed dishonest. You shouldn't have to resort to deception to help someone. Did Mako want the championship badly enough that he wouldn't care if she just offered him the funds openly? No, he deserved better than that. This wasn't right! Benders without half his talent or resolve didn't have half the trouble he did getting approval to compete just because they had wealthy sponsors...

Asami's brain kicked into overdrive. At first, it sounded crazy (her father had never done something like that before), but, before long, it seemed so obvious she wondered why it hadn't occurred to her from the beginning. It wouldn't be charity; it would be payment for something he earned – a business transaction between equals (as he deserved), something perfectly common and acceptable that Pro-Benders did every day.

"It's perfect," Asami said aloud as she walked down the hallway to her suite.

"What's perfect, honey?" Her father emerged from a door that had been ajar.

"Hey, Dad! I didn't know you were still up!" Asami said as she hugged her father.

"Well, business doesn't do itself," he said for explanation. Asami figured as much – her father seemed to be working harder and a lot more often these days. "How was your evening, honey?"

"The best, Dad!" she answered truthfully. "It was wonderful! Mako's more than just a great Pro-Bender. He's smart and nice and fun to talk to and a perfect gentleman."

"You don't say?" Hiroshi said with a laugh. "Sounds like he made quite an impression on you..."

"Yeah... he reminds me a lot of you, actually," she said, trying to sound casual. "He's had it rough, but he's never let that stop him. He started from nothing, and he's worked hard for his success, never giving up, just like you did."

"Yes, just like me," her dad mumbled. Asami could tell he wasn't interested in prolonging the conversation; he must be tired. She knew now wasn't the time to press it; she just wanted to test the waters.

"He really admires you, you know. He'd love to meet you," she announced, if stretching the truth, at least not telling an outright lie.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. We're taking a walk in the park together tomorrow. What do you say? Will I have to dash his hopes forever?"

"That all depends on my schedule," Hiroshi answered with a smile. "Tell him he's free to get his hopes up, and I'll arrange a time when we can all get together."

This boded well. Asami gave her father one last hug, said, "Thanks, Dad! I knew you'd do it!", kissed him good-night, and ran off to bed. It was too early to tell for sure, but so far, conditions looked favorable for her plans.

Hiroshi didn't go to bed nearly as happy as his daughter. He tried to tell himself it was a good sign that Asami could talk to him so nonchalantly about dating a Firebender – it proved how well he was maintaining his cover, which was reassuring after his doubt that he'd be able to conceal his shock when she first told him about her plans for tonight. He'd always given his daughter's judgment better credit, but to hear that she considered a Firebender dating material, that she didn't recognize on her own what monsters their kind were... How could she be so blind? But if he was going to make a safer world for her, he couldn't correct her mistake. Not yet.

After hearing she'd be seeing him again, Hiroshi wondered how long he'd be able to hide his disgust. He knew it was necessary, she wasn't ready, he'd frighten her if he started acting different with no apparent reason, she'd hate him for lying to her if she wasn't properly prepared, but he might not be able to help himself. His daughter and a _Firebender!_ Where did one draw the line?!

_Now, now, don't start overreacting_, thought Hiroshi. _You can't risk blowing your cover. Keep up the act. Don't give her the slightest reason to doubt you. Besides, they're both teenagers. It won't lead to anything serious. It'll be over before you know it. Soon, this Mako will be just a memory to her. You can last until then_.

No, it was impossible that anything more than few days' (weeks', at the most) discomfort and need for extra effort on his part would come of this. He was only some worthless Firebender, after all – what could Asami possibly see in him?


	2. Defiance

The gloomy light of the cell made the mask and the detached eyes suspended within it look downright otherworldly; it made it easy for Asami to imagine she was facing a spirit she could defeat as long as she showed no emotion. Without dropping her guard stance, she held Amon's gaze as he continued: "I'm sorry to have to say you've disappointed me – I never expected our first meeting to take place under such circumstances, but apparently, Sato and I were overly optimistic about how long it would take you to see the error of your ways."

The mention of her father made Asami mildly curious where he was and how he had taken the news of her capture. As if he had read her mind, Amon informed her, "Your father will be relieved when he returns from his mission and learns we managed to rescue you from those thugs. It's about time – the brilliant man deserves a reward after all he's done for me. I suppose I should thank _you_ for that – I was worried, at first, that the loss of his daughter might produce harmful effects on his state of mind and his work, but it only motivated him to double his efforts to protect you from these monsters. I'm glad I was able to keep my promise to him – he has served me well. I suppose he wanted to make up for spoiling our plans; we hadn't intended for his cover to be exposed so soon, and he didn't handle it well by letting the Avatar and the rest escape, along with his secret. However, as you can see, it was of no consequence."

Amon paused as his eyes became filled with amused mockery before continuing in the same sincere, cordial tone: "It was an impressive effort, Miss Sato, but your foolhardy actions that day were a waste of energy. You've always been so proud of the choice you made then, haven't you? Of the great risk you took and the great victory you made for the enemy... thought yourself so superior. Did you enjoy getting to play the noble hero? Pretending that you accomplished something important by betraying your father? You achieved nothing with your little stunt. Our power has only grown since then, our mission is progressing nicely, and it's only a matter of time before this entire city is successfully Equalized, the resistance is wiped out, and we are free to spread the gift of Equality throughout the world. In spite of you and other minor nuisances who have stepped in our way, our road to victory is as clear as it has always been. Your defiance has been nothing but a waste of time for you and for us."

Amon shook his head and said mournfully, "It's such a shame... you could have out your talents to such better use." He shrugged and said more cheerfully, "But that's all in the past now. You're back where you belong, and that's all that matters. I needn't tell you what a joy it is for me to be the first to say, welcome home, my dear."

The tender, forgiving tone of a parent welcoming home a prodigal, repentant child was so infuriating, Asami had to stop him, even though she knew speaking only made you more vulnerable in such situations. "And how long do you plan to keep me here before you kill me?" she asked casually.

Amon didn't laugh, but his eyes did, as he answered, "Why joke about such things? Even you must know I would never dream of doing such a thing."

_True, but a girl can hope_, Asami thought. She crossed her arms with a sigh of boredom and asked, "So what do you plan to do with me then?"

"Nothing you need be afraid of."

Asami shrugged as she asked flippantly, "Why would _I_ be afraid of you? It's not like you can take my Bending away."

"True… unfortunately, healing your soul will require more work than most, but I'm willing to make the effort."

That hinted at no less than what she expected. Whenever it started, however long it lasted, Asami hoped she would go down fighting; she decided to practice now. "Why don't you save _your_ energy? No matter how long you keep me here or how you torture me, I won't tell you _anything_ about Avatar Korra or the resistance," she said confidently.

Amon actually sounded offended as he said, almost angrily, "Don't insult me by assuming I resort to such crude methods, Miss Sato."

Asami didn't believe that any more than she believed his official sob-story about his family's murder by a Firebender. "Then why bother bringing me here?" she demanded. "You can't force me to join you."

Amon had resumed his normal monotone when he answered, "I won't need to. You'll join me willingly soon enough."

Asami scoffed and turned her head aside, sick of the sight of his face. He continued: "Your fate is now in your hands, Miss Sato. Your time here can be as difficult or as pleasant as you choose. You could save us a considerable amount of time and energy, if you'd like. You're a traitor to your people, but you can make amends for your mistakes. I'll ask you officially now: Will you join me and help me save the world from these Benders?"

Asami didn't answer, didn't turn, didn't move. Before long, she heard Amon say, "I warned your father that it would take some time. He doesn't understand you as well I do. To him and my Lieutenant and the rest, your behavior is quite a mystery. What reason could a rational, competent young woman have for defending Benders, they wonder? Why would she choose them over her own people? What do they have to offer her?"

The sight of movement out of the corner of her eye made Asami resume her guard pose and turn her face back to Amon. He unflexed his left wrist, revealing something concealed in his sleeve. He held it up, letting it dangle freely from his left hand. The cell's glowing crystals provided enough light for her to see clearly that it wasn't a weapon; it was a thin silver chain from which hung a single, amorphous, light green stone, its smooth surface crisscrossed by thin red veins – a piece of fire jade.

"_It's jade that's been heated by fire – that's what brings out the streaks of red. Fire and Earth are two different elements – for over one hundred years, they were enemies – but when they work together, they create something beautiful. It reminded me of you and me, and the great things we can do when we work together, no matter how different we are. Plus, it matches your eyes..."_

_His hands traveled up behind her head, and she felt the chain tighten around her neck as he began to undo the clasp. She pulled his arms down and cried, "No! Leave it! I want to wear it..."_

"_Wait!" she gasped... "There's no time to wait..." "I want it to be right..." He clasped it around her neck as he pressed his mouth against her shoulder and she reached up to unwind his scarf..._

Asami didn't know how long she stared at the stone before she caught herself. She tore her gaze away from it and looked Amon directly in the eyes, hoping he hadn't noticed her calculating how fast she would need to move to be able to snatch it. To her horror, he instead looked as if he had seen the flashbacks that had briefly flooded her mind, as if he had just watched all the times she had worn it and knew how unbearable seeing it in his hands was for her and why. He began rolling it between his fingers, but she kept her eyes on his and her face blank.

"Earth is strong. Resistant. Unyielding. Even under the influence of Fire, it doesn't break – but it does transform. Takes on new properties. An unnatural appearance. One must take this transformation into consideration when deciding how best to handle it. Keep in mind the effects of Fire. Fortunately, Fire cools, and what it leaves behind can be even more useful after it's been burned than when it was pure. No matter how close it was to the Fire, the stone can be molded into any form for any purpose, as long as one _knows it well enough not to miscalculate_." His emphasis on the words was hardly necessary; Asami knew exactly what he was alluding to, that he was warning her he couldn't be fooled as easily as others. She briefly glanced at the fire jade before turning her eyes quickly back to his face, wishing they were an inch closer so she could risk grabbing for it; the sight of it in his grasp was growing harder and harder to stand.

Amon paused to let her know he noticed her stolen glance before saying, "Fire is a powerful force... but there are forces more powerful. You've been a victim of its influence for too long, Miss Sato, but rest assured, you've suffered no permanent damage. Before long, it will be as if it never touched you, and you'll see you have no reason not to join me." He dropped the stone and let it dangle from the chain again. Asami followed it with her eyes, now wanting him to see what she was thinking, wanting him to know that she savored every memory of wearing it and would never forget who gave it to her or why, that she was proud of what she had done and would never regret any of it. She gave up all intention of snatching it back. Let him keep it if it made him foolishly confident he could ever make her feel otherwise!

"Don't worry – I'll be patient," Amon said soothingly. "Take as long as you need to recover from the delusions you've suffered under, Miss Sato. Eventually, your soul will be purified just like all the Benders I've freed from their corruption. You're in safe hands now." The fire jade quivered where it hung, and Asami suddenly felt as if the man held her herself in his hand and not just her necklace. "Safe from your Firebender and the Avatar and the rest of your enemies. None of them can harm you now; they'll never find you here. Our people have sworn to protect you; they will guard you and your new home with their lives. None of them will bother you before you're well. Until then, you belong to me." Asami shuddered as he wrapped his fist tightly around the fire jade. "The most valuable gem I've ever acquired – well worth the effort." He lifted it up before his eyes as if examining it, but his gaze shifted from the stone to her feet and traveled slowly up her body to her face as he said, "I'm afraid I must admit your Firebender has better judgment than you. At least there's no mystery there... I can't blame him for wanting to keep such a perfect gem to himself."

Asami never knew whether it was the words or the sight of him starting to put the fire jade in his pocket that did it. All she knew was that, without planning to, she had lunged forward, reaching for the necklace, not caring if Amon stabbed her or wrung her neck or bashed her head in, as long as she got it away from him first. His only reaction, however, was to dodge her strike and retreat a few steps back. Convinced he truly had no weapon and no backup nearby, she charged at his left hand again. Her fingers were a few inches away from grabbing the necklace when she realized that he was no longer backing away from her and that she herself was no longer moving.

She had stopped in mid-motion, her right arm and fingers outstretched, her knees bent, her left heel raised off the ground. In her mind, she had continued moving forward, but her limbs hadn't obeyed her. It was like the time she'd hit a patch of ice on her moped and completely lost control of the vehicle, but the vehicle now was her body, and one didn't lost control of that.

_Move, move, move_, Asami thought desperately. Her arm and legs remained frozen. She was powerless to move any part of her body. It was the most terrifying moment of her life, but it got worse when she felt her legs step back and her elbows bend of their own volition. Every motion hurt, as if her muscles were straining against it. She tried to stop herself now, but every attempt to control herself in any way was useless. The pain and terror were too great even to allow her to wonder what was causing it.

Then, as abruptly as it had started, it stopped. The pain instantly ceased, and her arms fell slack at her sides. Asami lost her balance and fell on her left side, her control of her legs returning too fast for her to take over supporting herself in time. She stayed where she fell, trembling with fear that it would start again. Her head was only now clear enough to wonder what in the world had happened to her. There was only one explanation she could think of, but that was impossible. So impossible that she hadn't even considered it at first. There were no Waterbenders here.

Asami looked frantically around the cell, but nothing had changed. Her eyes stopped on Amon. The wildest idea flashed through her mind, but she couldn't believe it. There was no way he could have done that to her, no way... Yet, despite her insistence, she braced herself as soon as she saw him raise his right hand.

She lost control of her neck first this time. It tipped back, then forward, then twisted left. Her left arm pushed her up, her shoulders straightened, and her legs stood up. With every motion, she now clearly saw Amon move his wrist or fingers, and felt her muscles deliberately respond. He let her stand still for a moment as the truth sank in. But how could it be? Amon, a Bloodbender? Amon, a Waterbender? A Waterbender launching a war against Benders? It made no sense! Of course, with all the other offenses he was guilty of, adding "hypocrisy" to the list certainly wouldn't be extraordinary, but even if she acknowledged that it was entirely physically possible for the leader of the anti-Bending revolution to be a Waterbender, she still couldn't for the life of her understand: _Why?!_

Asami couldn't hope to explain it. She had no idea what time it was; she tried to remember if tonight was supposed to be a full moon – she didn't think so, but she wasn't thinking straight, she couldn't be sure. She tried to remember what Korra had told them about Bloodbending... _don't try to resist – it's not possible, and it only makes the pain worse... the only parts of your body too delicate for them to control for very long are your eyes and mouth... just try to stay calm and breathe normally – don't make it more dangerous by helping your blood to race_... She was failing abysmally at the moment. Or was she? If Amon had the power to move her blood, did he have the power to make it race, to make her heart speed up, to stop her body from calming down and make her panic? The thought wasn't helping her, but it was impossible to ignore.

Amon moved his hand in the "come here" gesture, and Asami wasn't surprised that her feet began stepping forward – much more slowly and clumsily than when under her own control, just as Korra had described. Absurd or not, this couldn't be anything other than Bloodbending. The shock of the discovery had been completely displaced by terror for what he would do with her now. She resisted the urge to close her eyes, to scream, tried to focus on the fact that he couldn't make her do either.

Amon stopped her a foot away from him, and Asami caught herself this time when she felt control return to her. She barely suppressed the instinct to run as far away from the man as she could. There was nowhere to go, and she feared he would take any voluntary motion on her part as an invitation to Bend her again. She stared straight ahead and tried to ignore him, to focus on her breathing and calming herself down. He held the fire jade up an inch away from her face. "You wanted this?" he asked.

Asami told herself not to move, not to respond in any way, that that was just what he wanted. But then she saw his eyes light up with silent laughter and realized _this_ was the response he wanted. She was suddenly overcome with a rage so strong it almost obliterated her fear. Nothing was worth giving him the satisfaction of submission. If there was nothing she could do stop him or protect herself anyway, she had nothing to lose by fighting back. Even a fruitless effort was better than no effort at all. She looked up at Amon with eyes blazing with fury and reached up for the fire jade.

As she expected, Amon snatched it out of her reach and seized control of her body while her arm was in midair. Ignoring Korra's warning and the pain, she kept trying to reach farther forward. The pain increased, and Amon's gaze intensified. Did resisting make them need to work harder to control you? It was a small comfort, but she'd take it. Even though she didn't expect to be able to, she began trying to move her legs as well. Amon muttered, "Hmmm..." before abruptly raising his arm.

Korra had warned them about this, too, but it happened so quickly, Asami couldn't prepare for it. She felt the floor disappear from underneath her. Amon had tilted her head up towards the ceiling as he lifted her off the ground. She saw the ceiling start to move and realized he was moving her back. She wished she could brace herself for either the heart attack or the impact with the ground, whichever was coming.

To her surprise, Asami felt herself being lowered slowly back to the floor and then pushed back. She hit the wall in the same instant she felt control returned to her. Whatever he'd done to levitate her blood and drag her body along with it had left her exhausted, gasping for breath as if she'd just run a mile. Amon stepped up in front of her, but she remained slumped against the wall, looking at him with pure loathing.

"That was a bold move," he said drily.

"As bold as Waterbending in an Equalist prison?" Asami snapped.

"I'm touched by your concern, my dear, but I assure you, I'm perfectly safe."

"You're..." Asami began, but she had to stop to catch her breath. "Do you really think you can get away with this?"

"Get away with what?" Amon asked, seemingly confused.

The whole picture began to fall into place for Asami. If Amon had gone this long without being exposed as a Bender, obviously he was too careful ever to let his followers catch him. She imagined how any of them would react to hearing him accused of being a Waterbender. None of them would believe it. The fact that she knew didn't pose a single threat to him; he could deny it like he did just now, and she'd have no proof to the contrary. It was suicidally audacious, but so far, he had succeeded, and she couldn't stop him. There hadn't even been any pressing reason for him to show her. He hadn't needed to Bloodbend her; obviously, he just wanted her to know that he could. But once again, she couldn't understand why.

"How do you expect me to listen to a Waterbender trying to convince me to join a war against Benders?" Asami asked, sincerely confused by his logic.

"Very attentively," was Amon's answer. "But your curiosity will have to wait until tomorrow." He pocketed the fire jade. Asami grimaced and clenched her fists but didn't move to stop him this time. He stared at her silently before observing, "Excellent progress, my dear. I look forward to our next meeting. Until then, sleep well." He bowed as if they were parting ways after a business dinner and headed for the door.

Asami thought that if she hadn't known what he could do to her, she would have run for the door and tried to escape instead of idly watching him take out a key, unlock it, open it, step out, and close it behind him. It seemed to take him an unnecessarily long time, as if he was deliberately prolonging the opportunity for the attempt they both knew it was pointless for her to make. She didn't relax even when she was alone in the cell again, unsure what to expect next. She heard some sort of bell ring once he was out in the hallway; he must have signaled someone. Sure enough, before long, she heard a heavy door open somewhere in the building and one set of footsteps approaching.

"How did it go, sir?" a man's voice said right outside the door.

"Better than I expected," Amon told him. "Call the first shift in. Make sure they remember their orders – no one is to speak to or harm the girl."

"Of course not," the other man replied. Asami heard him begin walking away before Amon's voice stopped him.

"Lieutenant," his master said, "When the Avatar asks you where she is, you'll tell her the truth... after a reasonable show of reluctance."

"Yes, sir," the Lieutenant answered.

Asami heard the two men walk away in opposite directions. No… had they actually left her alone? She had sprinted to the door, looked through the grate at the empty hallway, and begun pulling furiously on the handle before her reason caught up with her actions. It was useless; the cell was secure enough that they could afford to leave her briefly with no guards. She was sure Amon had timed their arrival as he did purely to emphasize this fact for her. But then why had he chosen to have that conversation right outside her door? Why had he wanted her to hear it? To rob her of the hope that her friends would find her, she concluded. Now she had to hope that they _wouldn't_ come rescue her, or she'd be hoping they would fall into a trap.

No way to escape, ideally no chance of rescue, and her jailer was a Bloodbender... the hopelessness of her situation felt so heavy, Asami feared she would collapse under the weight. She had prepared herself for the possibility of capture, imprisonment, and worse long ago; she knew the risks she was taking and what the consequences might be, but none of the scenarios she had imagined had involved being held by someone who could bend her body to his will with a flick of his wrist – there had been no reason to expect one of their enemies would have that power. What other secrets did Amon have? What was he planning for her? There was nothing he couldn't do to her...

Asami pounded her fist once against the steel door to snap herself out of it. _Panicking won't help you_, she told herself. But what else could she do? She thought she could bear anything but this sense of complete powerlessness. _You're only powerless if you let him get to you_, she replied. _He's gone. You're in control now. Use the time to think while you have the chance._

Taking a deep breath, Asami went and sat on the edge of the bed, trying to obey her command to think. What part of this situation was in her favor? Amon intended to use her as bait – obviously not his primary motive for her capture but a beneficial side-effect for him. It could be beneficial for her, too; presumably it meant he couldn't harm her too badly – one couldn't bargain with damaged goods. But if luring her friends into a trap wasn't his first priority, she couldn't rely on that. She briefly wondered if he would keep her safe for her father's sake but gathered even less reassurance from that thought. Amon's followers worshiped him, and there seemed to be nothing her father wouldn't do for his sake; whatever Amon did to her, her father would probably believe it was for her own good. She didn't even entertain the possibility of receiving help from any of her guards; Amon surely knew how to spot and weed out the slightest bit of sympathy for the Star-Crossed Lovers of Republic City...

That last conclusion made her think of Mako. Would she ever see him again? He was probably worried sick about her. _Don't fall for it_, she silently pleaded. _Don't play his game. Just win the war, and this will all be over_. No matter how Amon bragged, she knew the Equalists were no match for Korra. She would win; all Asami had to do was wait until then. _Wait, and stay sane_ – that was her task as long as she was in here. The thought made her feel less helpless. _Remember what you're fighting for._ She held onto the image of Mako in her mind. _Remember why they're doing this to you. Remember how they fear you and what you represent._ She he had made her choices, and she was proud to answer for them, no matter what it cost her.

Asami wondered again just how Amon planned to make her pay for her treachery and began to think that, no matter what he did to her, the worst was surely over. The shock of discovering he was a Bloodbender couldn't be repeated. She knew what to expect from him now. The next time she saw him, she'd be prepared. This hope still didn't make the thought of having her blood Bent again any less horrifying. She would just have to endure it. _Wait, stay sane, and endure it_. It was all doable. She was strong enough to survive this...

Her thoughts were interrupted by a shadow falling over her. Asami looked up and saw an Equalist mask looking through the grill in the door. She stood up, ready to defend herself, but he evidently remembered his master's orders. The door remained closed, and the face disappeared after a minute. Still dizzy from the previous ordeals of the day, she sat back down. She could no longer see anyone through the tiny window, but she heard two men's voices very clearly.

"Not very impressive," one voice said.

"Seriously?" the other asked sarcastically.

The first chuckled before saying, "What, do I look blind to you? I mean I can't believe she put up as big a fight as Ryo said she did."

"Wish I'd been there for it."

"Me, too... I can't believe they didn't kill her when they had the chance."

"Amon would have been furious if they had."

"Why? Is he really going to let her join us after everything she's done?"

"He probably feels he has to for Hiroshi's sake."

"She's ruined herself with a Firebender – Hiroshi must know more than anyone that she's better off dead."

"Of course, but Amon can't bear to do it. She's just a kid..."

"Seriously?" the first voice echoed.

"I know, right?" the other answered with a knowing laugh. "She doesn't deserve any favors from Amon."

"I don't know how she has the nerve to face him after what she's done."

"I don't know how Amon can stand looking at her."

"Oh, that's not so hard..."

"Focus! We're not here to have fun."

"You can say that again..." the first voice said with a sigh.

"You know the orders," his partner reminded him. "We have to trust Amon."

"I know, but I still can't believe he's going so easy on her."

"He's a practical man. You know how useful she could be to us."

"_If_ she ever comes around."

"She will once she learns her lesson."

"I'd sure like to teach her a _lesson_ or two, if you know what I mean, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah... too bad; I guess Amon's reserved that pleasure for himself."

"Well, he could at least share."

"If he doesn't, I may take my chances anyway," the second guard whispered.

"Fine, but I go first."

"I'll flip you for it."

"After all, what could be kinder than showing her what a real man is like?"

"Benders think they're so much better than us. Someone has to show her how wrong they are."

"Starting with her Firebender."

"Wish he was here to watch." With that, the two men were overcome with laughter, and the conversation came to a merciful halt.

Asami slowly pried her fingers away from her arms; she'd tightened her grip at every sentence until she could feel her nails digging into her skin right through the cloth of her shirt. She closed her eyes and held her hand over her mouth, willing herself not to throw up. She replayed every one of her self-defense classes in her mind; none of them had been able to teach you a way to fight when your chi was blocked and you were paralyzed. She didn't know which was worse – the knowledge that she now had to rely on Amon for protection, or that the guards had forced her to admit the worst-case scenario she had successfully pushed out of her mind when contemplating the worst Amon could do to her.

Asami shook her head furiously, refusing to let the images in. She couldn't let herself think of that, or she _would_ go mad. She tried to shut out the memory of what she'd just heard, what she'd just witnessed, what a Bloodbender could do to her, what they wanted to do to her... _Don't think about it!_ she ordered herself. She had to stay sane. She had to stay on her guard constantly. She had to find a way out of here. She couldn't be beaten now, not after all she'd been through... all she and Mako had been through... all they'd fought against together... from the very beginning...

* * *

Asami knew she was breaking every rule in the book against seeming too eager by showing up at the park entrance before five, but she didn't care. These were special circumstances – she wasn't only eager to see Mako again but to begin laying the foundation for her plan to get him and his team into the tournament. It had been all she could think about last night; the sooner the deal was made, the sooner she could sleep again.

Mako quickly spotted Asami waving at him as he entered the park. "Hello, stranger," she said as he approached, her smile as wide and bright as it had been last night.

"Good afternoon, madame," he said as he bowed to her. "Lovely evening, isn't it?"

"Too soon to tell," Asami replied with a laugh at his feigned formality. "Let's get it started and find out, shall we?"

"Why not?" Mako asked nonchalantly with a shrug. He stepped up next to Asami and suddenly wondered if she was expecting him to let her hold his arm, like he saw other couples do. He'd learned when she held his hand at dinner last night that she wasn't shy about physical contact, and the prospect didn't exactly displease him, either. He bent his right elbow slightly, and she looped her left arm through it as naturally as if they did this every day. It suddenly struck him that, for all he knew, she _might_ do this every day, but he shook the thought off. That was no concern of his... it _should_ be no concern of his... "Do you come here often?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Asami didn't answer at first. She was still trying to absorb the fact that she was actually strolling through the park on the arm of the handsome pro-Firebender she'd admired for so long. She was sure she must be the envy of every girl they passed, but she shouldn't think about that. She pressed her arm a little more tightly against his to assure herself this was real before she finally answered, "Not really. It's not really the place to come alone. I prefer riding my moped through the city. More to see..."

"... Higher speed limits," Mako added, ignoring the relief he inexplicably felt at the word "alone."

"Yes..." Asami confirmed, not wishing to pursue _that_ subject any further with him, "but when I get a real craving for speed, I go to my dad's test course and race the test drivers."

Mako's eyebrows shot up in astonishment. Wouldn't this girl ever run out of surprises? "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Hm, probably," Asami answered. She tried not to look at two girls sitting under a tree who'd begun whispering as they walked by. "No more dangerous than standing on a ledge while people shoot fire and rocks at your head, I'm sure."

"Actually, water's the only thing they can shoot at your _head_."

"Right – drowning's safer any day."

"That was Bolin's worst fear when we first started. Before our first match, he was so nervous, he kept saying he was _sure_ he was going to take _one_ false step and ending up slipping off the ring and drowning before the first round was over. He says it's an 'Earthbender thing.' " At the word "Earthbender," a woman sitting on a bench had looked up and sneered at the couple as they passed. It was nothing new to Mako, but he hoped Asami hadn't noticed.

"Your brother nervous?" Asami repeated in disbelief. "That's hard to imagine. I've seen you both in action; he looks like he was born in the ring."

"What about me?" Mako asked sarcastically.

"You look like you own the ring," Asami replied sincerely.

Mako lit up at the compliment but couldn't help but deflate as he remembered how none of it mattered. "If that were true, I wouldn't have let my team be kicked out of the running," he sighed.

"Don't count yourself out yet," Asami ventured to say. Not giving Mako any time to wonder what she meant, she asked, "What about Avatar Korra?", trying to ignore an old man who shook his head at her as she walked past. The prude… what, a girl couldn't hold a boy's arm in public?

Mako shook his head and smiled as he answered, "Hah – she probably wishes she lived in the ring. I've never had a teammate who enjoys the game this much. When she gets started, it can actually get pretty scary. She's probably the biggest danger to anyone in the game now."

"Sounds a lot more enthusiastic than your last Waterbender," Asami observed.

"That's for sure," Mako said laconically. At that moment, a man with a sketchpad under his arm walking in the opposite direction bumped right into his shoulder.

"Hey, watch where you're walking!" he said, glaring at Mako as if the boy had punched him.

"Likewise," Mako said back. "Sorry." The man continued glaring over his shoulder at the couple as he stomped away.

"What's his problem?" Asami wondered, glaring back.

"The same as everyone else's," Mako explained, instinctively holding the end of his scarf in his left hand. "Usually, though, they're so afraid of me, they go out of their way to leave me alone."

Did he have to put up with idiots like that every day just because he was a Firebender? Asami wanted to explode with indignation, but she restrained herself for Mako's sake. She did, however, briefly strengthen her grip on his arm, hoping that would somehow show her support for him and outrage on his behalf. He returned the pressure in what she guessed was a gesture of acceptance and thanks.

Asami asked Mako about the Avatar again, and he told her all about what she was like and what it was like working with her. Asami hoped she might get the chance to meet her but didn't say so out loud. Instead, she listened and made a comment here and there while paying closer attention to the people they passed. Apparently, that gentleman hadn't been the only idiot in the park today. Jeers and whispers and groans of disgust seemed to follow them every step, not from everyone, but from a good many. Walking through the park minding his own business seemed to be the most offensive crime a man could commit if he happened to be a Bender. How could people be so irrational? _They_ were the ones who had no right to be here! The Firebender they couldn't stand the sight of was worth more than all of them combined – at least his life wasn't so empty that he had nothing better to do than harass strangers.

Asami hated herself for letting these people cause her so much grief. They weren't worth it. "How did you decide to let her join your team in the first place?" she asked Mako.

"I didn't; she pretty much just jumped in the ring before I could stop her. It was all Bolin's fault – he enabled her. He's her biggest fan."

"Aw, that's sweet."

Mako rolled his eyes and grinned. "As sweet as the last fifty or sixty times."

"Well, I don't know about those," Asami admitted, "but this time, it sounds like he really likes her."

"Well, you would know better than me."

"Do you think _she_ likes _him_?"

Mako hesitated before answering. If he answered her and she asked why, should he tell her the whole story? Well, talking about these things was supposed to make them easier to deal with, right? He hadn't planned to do that today, but since she asked… "Well... she _did_ risk a lot to help me save him the other night..."

"What-" Asami was cut off by something colliding with her shoulder from behind. She quickly turned around and saw a man with binoculars around his neck step aside.

Mako instantly rounded on him. "Hey! Watch it!"

"I was about to give you the same advice," the man said, looking directly at Asami, as if Mako wasn't even there. "I beg your pardon, Miss Sato. You really should be more careful." Asami was still trying to decipher that when the man had turned and disappeared down a side path.

"You know him?" Mako asked, looking after him.

"Never seen him before," Asami told him. "He must've seen my picture somewhere with my father."

They had taken a few more steps, but Mako abruptly stopped. The higher-than-usual volume of hostility greeting him today, people inexplicably turning bold enough to accost him instead of just jeer at him... what if it wasn't just him they were angry at today? If they recognized Asami Sato either because they knew her or her father or had seen her in some paper or magazine, if they knew she was a non-Bender and saw her strolling by with a boy with gold eyes and a Firebender's trademark scarf...

"What's wrong?" he heard Asami ask innocently.

"Nothing... sorry, he just really ticked me off," Mako assured her. No reason to upset her. He was being paranoid, imagining things. He may have no right to be here, but surely Asami Sato could do whatever she wanted. She'd be fine. Yet, he couldn't resist holding her arm more securely against him as he told her about how he and Korra had crashed Amon's Revelation to rescue Bolin.

Asami clutched his arm in fear throughout the entire story. She couldn't say anything once he'd finished. The thought of what could have happened to him and his brother and the Avatar... "What he did… that couldn't have been real, could it?" she eventually murmured.

"I don't know. It sure looked like it," Mako answered as best he could.

For some reason, Asami was more disturbed by Mako's description of the crowd cheering as this Amon stripped Benders of their power than she was by the act itself. "How could they stand there and watch that? Hasn't anyone stood up and told them how wrong this is?" Three young women stepped out in front of them from an adjoining path and glared at them in contempt as they passed.

"Apparently not," Mako replied, glaring back, sick of the lot of them. He was glad Asami didn't ask any more questions about the revelation; he was eager to drop the subject of Amon.

Mako led Asami up the small stone bridge over the stream that ran into the lake, and they stopped at the peak of the arc and looked down over the water. An owlcat was flying around trying to snag some fish, but it had some stiff competition from a beavercoon that kept popping up and splashing it. The young couple became thoroughly engrossed in the antics, laughing and cheering them on, the unpleasant encounters of the day forgotten.

It was awhile before the sound of voices from the foot of the bridge caught their attention. "I'm telling you that's Asami Sato," a woman's voice said in a stage whisper. "I'd recognize her anywhere."

"It can't be," a man's voice insisted. "What would she be doing with a Firebender?" The subjects of their discourse kept their eyes firmly focused on the water.

"Girls these days," the woman said condescendingly. "No sense of propriety."

"How could her father allow this?" the man asked, thoroughly stunned.

"They ought to be ashamed of themselves, parading around like that..."

"I'm never coming to this park again if _this_ is the kind of thing they allow."

"Some people just have no sense of decency."

"What _is_ the world coming to these days..." The two voices dropped too low to make out the words.

It took every ounce of Mako's willpower to keep his fist from igniting; granted, imagining incinerating those two right where they stood wasn't making the job any easier. He was right; his crime today wasn't just being a Firebender – it was walking with a non-Bender. He knew it was unusual, but he didn't expect people to be so scandalized that they couldn't restrain themselves. He had no idea people found what they'd done so utterly unacceptable. He couldn't have cared less for himself, but Asami... She didn't deserve this. He never wanted to subject her to this.

Mako moved first, turning his head away from the water towards Asami. She looked up at him as well. He had no idea what to do or say. Asami took charge. She took his hand and led him down the bridge in the direction the whispers were coming from. As they approached, the man and woman fell silent and stared at them, shaking their heads in pity and disdain. Asami looked at Mako with a strange smirk before turning back to their judges. She took his right arm in both her hands before shaking her head with the same look of pity and disgust.

"Some people these days," Asami said. "No sense of propriety."

Mako instantly caught on. "They ought to be ashamed of themselves, exposing themselves like that," he said, shaking his head in the same manner.

"I'm never coming to this park again if _this_ is the kind of thing they allow," said Asami.

"What _is_ the world coming to these days?" Mako asked ostentatiously. Asami flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned her back on the speechless couple. Their mouths were still hanging open when Mako let her lead him away along the shore of the lake.

They walked in silence for a while in liberating solitude, the autumn sun setting ahead of them, its reflection shining on the water like a beautiful painting. Asami stopped dead in her tracks and dropped Mako's arm. He turned to face her, waiting for her to speak. He was stunned when the next words out of her mouth were, "I'm sorry." She paused, but he was too floored to respond. She took a deep breath as if bracing herself, and went on: "I know that was so... presumptuous of me. I shouldn't have just dragged you into that, I should have asked if it was all right with you, but they made me so mad, I wasn't thinking. I couldn't stand it! I probably just made things harder for you, Mako. I'm so sorry. Did you mind? Was that okay?"

Mako took a deep breath of his own before saying, "No. That wasn't okay." She hung her head, and he heard the softest, most tortured sigh of resignation escape her before he took her hand and added, "That was brilliant." She blinked, and he waited while her widened eyes relaxed back to normal and that familiar smile slowly reappeared. As she stood there with the sun setting behind her, Mako was suddenly overcome with the urge to throw his arms around her and tell her that she was the most beautiful, incredible girl he'd ever met. What had gotten into him? Of course he was grateful that she'd stood by him and impressed at how she had handled those anti-Benders, but he just met her two days ago – what was he thinking? He tried to distract himself by saying, "You did a great job."

"You did, too."

"I was just following your lead..." The excitement and happiness of the last few seconds quickly evaporated as his regret that she'd been forced to deal with that idiotic hostility at all rose up. "I'm sorry they did that to you, Asami. I never meant to cause so much trouble for you. It's all because you were with me. I've gotten so used to it that I didn't even think of it when we planned this. I had no idea you'd be..." He couldn't find any words to translate what he wanted to say.

"Well, I made things worse for you, too," Asami pointed out. "What made them so upset was seeing you with me. I just wanted to spend time with you. I never knew so many people would react that way."

Mako realized why he he'd been unable to finish what he was saying: it didn't make sense. He actually smiled as he asked, "Why are _we_ apologizing for what _they_ did?"

Asami shook her head and ran her hand through her hair. "I don't know. Should we stop?"

"Well, you should stop, because I'm glad you wanted to spend time with me, and I don't care what they think."

"You should stop, too, because I don't care, either." They began walking again, hand in hand. Asami tossed her hair back over shoulder again (the wind must love playing with it) as she asked, "You really wanted to spend time with me?"

Did he say that? Well, the truth was, no, he wanted to wrap her in his arms, run his fingers through that lustrous hair, and... "Sure, if you do," he answered.

"You say that as if you don't believe I do."

"It's not that I don't believe it, it's just that... I never expected it."

"Because I'm not a Bender?"

He wouldn't have been able to say it if she hadn't sounded a little hurt: "Because you're... Hiroshi Sato's daughter."

"What have you got against Hiroshi Sato?" she asked with her free hand on her hip.

Following her lead (again), Mako answered, "Nothing, I've never even met the guy," laughing to erase the last dregs of awkwardness.

"Well, we'll have to fix that," Asami declared. "When's your next day off?"

"Three days."

"Fabulous. I'll inform Mr. Sato and get back to you once we've scheduled the meeting."

"Really? That's... that's great..." They were about to head up a small hill when they looked up and saw two men standing at the top, staring down at them. One whispered behind his hand in his companion's ear, leaving little doubt as to the subject of their discussion. Mako narrowed his eyes and said, "But for now, let's get out of here," and they instead turned left to take the quickest route out of the park.

Returning from the park paths to the city's busy sidewalks was like being released from prison. There were too many people for the two of them to stand out, everybody had a place to go or an errand to run or something better to do than look for Benders to antagonize, and there was too much noise and activity for anyone to pay attention to strangers anyway. Putting the earlier events of the day firmly behind them, the two new friends walked around the streets arm in arm, talking about Mako's team, Asami's father's company, and Mako's adventure at the Revelation. In this environment, it was a relief for him to have someone to talk to about it at last; he didn't want to force his brother to relive that night, and they hardly ever saw Korra now. Night had completely fallen by the time a clock chiming the hour woke them up and Asami reluctantly resigned herself to her curfew.

"I'll let you know tomorrow what time my dad can meet you," she reminded Mako.

"Thanks again, Asami," Mako said – pathetically, it sounded to him. Asami had treated him to two great evenings now, and now she was going to introduce him to one of the most famous men in Republic City. He desperately wished he could do something for her in return, and he simply didn't see any way how. He'd probably have to get used to that feeling with such a friend.

"Don't mention it, really," Asami repeated. Mako knew it was no trouble for her, but it was such an exciting opportunity for him. He realized he was doubly handicapped – he didn't have the money to give or do anything for Asami, and Asami had so much money that she didn't need anything from him even if he had. He finally understood why Bolin was always sneaking his girls backstage – the best view of a Pro-Bending match was the only thing he had to offer them. And even that was now over their budget by 30,000 yuans. Asami deserved so much more than just his gratitude, especially after today. How was he ever supposed to repay her? It wasn't like she needed _him_ to stand up to anyone for her, or he knew any giants of industry he could introduce _her_ to...

The idea came to Mako after they had circled back and were almost to the street corner near the park where Asami's carriage would be waiting by now. "So, what time do you want to meet tomorrow?" she asked.

"You an early riser?" asked Mako.

"I can be – why?"

"We meet at six in the morning for practice, in the gym in the arena building. Even if we can't afford the tournament, we need to stay at the top of our game for next year. How'd you like to come watch?"

"Watch you practice? I'd love to!"

She hadn't let him finish. "Great. Korra will be there; you'll get to see what she's like for yourself."

"I get to meet _Avatar Korra_?!" Mako had hoped she'd be thrilled, but he was disappointed that she seemed more excited at the prospect of meeting Korra than she'd been when she met him and angry at himself for feeling disappointed. "Mako, this is... I don't know what to say! Thank you!"

"Don't mention it, Asami." Agni, did it feel good to say that!

Asami spotted her carriage, and once again Mako declined a ride home, so they shook hands and said good-bye. Something about the handshake irked Mako, but he put it out of his mind. He had too much to look forward to tomorrow.

Asami spent the first half of her ride home scolding herself. She had almost leaned forward to kiss Mako good-bye when they'd shaken hands. Things were going so well, and she could have ruined it! If she hadn't stopped herself in time, she might have scared him away for good. _Slow down, you just met him_, she reminded herself. He enjoyed her company. He liked spending time with her. He liked her! _He likes me!_ Just thinking that made her as high as cactus juice (not that she had any personal experience for comparison, but she'd read a lot), too high to tell herself to be sensible, not to get her hopes up, not to rush things. The more they talked and the more she learned about him, the more she liked him.

Why not admit what she wanted? What was so bad about wanting to be around him, talk with him, hold his hand, feel his arms around her, hold him close, and dare anyone to tell her she had no right to? Their adventure in the park had taught her nothing except how brave and honorable he truly was. She couldn't wait to see him again tomorrow. And the best part was that seeing them practice would provide the perfect excuse to broach the subject of sponsoring them to her father! This couldn't be better for her plan!

And she'd be meeting the Avatar! She had to forget about that. She needed at least a few hours' sleep tonight.

* * *

Hiroshi was waiting in the parlor for his daughter when she came home right on time, slightly erring on the side of early.

"Oh, and here I was hoping to finally catch you sneaking in late," Hiroshi said as he gave his daughter a hug.

"If I'd known, I would have stayed out later," Asami laughed.

"I think you've been out more than enough this week," her father said as he led her over the couch with his arm around her shoulders. "Two dates in as many days, including one entire evening? When was the last time you were this interested in a boy?"

"Never," Asami admitted, too overflowing with happiness to conceal it.

"I take it you had a pleasant evening?"

"The best!"

"I thought yesterday was the best?"

"Yesterday, it was." It wasn't a lie; what happened before was just a detour. She decided not to tell her father about it; there was no reason to worry him, and it didn't matter anymore. "Oh, Dad, Mako's such a wonderful person. I can't wait for you to meet him. What are you doing in three days?"

"Inspecting the main factory. Why don't you bring him along? We can kill three sparrowkeets with one stone – he gets a tour, I get to inspect the factory... and I get to inspect _him_."

"Perfect! I'll tell him tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"He invited me to watch him practice. Did I tell you the Avatar is on his Pro-Bending team? I'm going to get to meet her!"

"You're spending tomorrow with him again? _And_ the Avatar?"

"Just for their morning practice. It's okay, right?"

Hiroshi couldn't think of any reason why it wouldn't be okay. "Of course, dear, but you'd better go right to bed then. I have an early meeting myself, so I'll see you tomorrow evening after work."

"Good night, dad!" Asami kissed her father on the cheek and danced upstairs. Hiroshi, for his part, looked after her with the smile she'd expect until he was safe in his study and had locked the door behind him.

_The Avatar!_ The last person in the world he wanted his daughter to associate with! He frantically wracked his brain for some excuse to keep her home tomorrow morning or some errand to interfere with her plans, but even if he could think of one, it would surely be too risky – Asami might get suspicious. Besides, if she really wanted to meet this girl, Hiroshi knew she would find a way; it wouldn't be the first time she disobeyed him and readily accepted the "consequences," such as they were, and he would go foolishly easy on her because she was his only child, because he couldn't bear to see her unhappy, and he had come so close to losing her along with her mother.

Hiroshi sighed and picked up the picture of his family from his desk. He ran his thumb over his wife's beautiful face. _Oh, darling, if only you were still here_, he thought. _You could always find a solution when I couldn't. You always knew the right thing to do for Asami. You would know how to handle her..._ He had never seen Asami so happy. She wasn't just happy, she was glowing, exactly like her mother had during the earliest days of their courtship. Was she falling for this Mako the same way? The poor but hard-working boy who was struggling to earn an honest living to support himself and his brother, just like he himself had started out all those years ago... who evidently believed in paying his debts and wouldn't let her introduce him to her famous father without returning the favor... by introducing her to the Avatar...

Hiroshi placed the picture in his hand back on his desk as the picture in his mind shattered. The reason his wife wasn't here for them anymore was because of Benders like this Mako and his brother and the Avatar. Asami would never be safe as long as they were free to continue destroying the world. Happiness was only possible for his daughter in the paradise of Equality Amon had promised to make of the world, free from the tyranny of Benders; nothing could be allowed to stand in the way of that. This current fancy would pass before long, and Asami would find a man who could make her truly happy – a man pure and normal and... equal, he supposed was the word. Oh, what did it matter? Any man was better for her than a Bender!

_Only a few days... just wait it out for a few days..._

He only hoped the few days Asami would need to get through with this Firebender would pass before Republic City noticed. Amon needed him to maintain his cover at all costs, but Hiroshi wasn't sure he'd meant that to include enabling a relationship between a non-Bender and a Firebender, both of whom were something of local minor celebrities. The Equalists would _not_ be pleased, and with how successfully they'd managed to rile the city so far, who knew what scandal Asami would start if she kept this up too long... or her danger if Amon found out?


End file.
